


The Prince Diaries: Royal Disaster

by postboxinheaven



Series: The Prince Diaries [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Humor, Inspired by Princess Diaries, M/M, Modern Royalty, Mutual Pining, all hail chenovia, but not really don't be alarmed, johnny and jaehyun are the stars of this show, there is some slight?? not really? infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 22:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14820089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postboxinheaven/pseuds/postboxinheaven
Summary: Sehun has 30 days to find his Prince Charming, but instead he finds himself accidentally falling for Prince Totally a Bad Idea.(aka Princess Diaries 2 AU)





	The Prince Diaries: Royal Disaster

It feels like it’s only been a few days since he was throwing his cap into the air in celebration of his graduation from college. Sehun can’t say he’s upset about it. College had shown him the four most exhausting and turbulent years of his life. He would miss his friends and the comfort of the only home he’d known for his entire life, but there was more in this world calling out to him. With his International Studies and Public Policy degrees in hand, he was ready to find out exactly what that was.

“Prince, look outside,” Kris, his bodyguard, nudges him in the side. Sehun turns his head to look outside the airplane window. Sehun’s jaw drops at the sight of the rolling green fields surrounding quaint cottages. Out of the corner of his eye, he spies the palace. The giant french baroque building looked larger than anything Sehun could have imagined ever calling his  _ home _ . “Welcome to Chenovia.” 

_ Chenovia _ . It had been a place that he had only dreamed about in the five years since his grandmother had told him that he was a prince. Sehun spent far too much time fantasizing what his life in the beautiful country would be like, and now he finally gets to live his dreams. 

For the first time in his life, home would mean something other than San Francisco. The thought was scary, but at the sight of a beautiful palace that he had only seen in pictures, he thinks that maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Passengers, prepare for landing,” the pilot announces through the intercom. Sehun quickly buckles up his seat belt and braces for landing. 

Chenovia was waiting for him. 

-

“Grandma, don’t you think it’s too soon for a party like this?” Sehun complains as his grandmother drags him into the grand ballroom of the palace. It’s enormous, much like everything else that he’s seen in the exhaustive tour that his grandmother gave him. 

“Of course not, Sehun. Don’t be silly,” his grandmother frowns, voice echoing through the room. She looks even smaller than usual standing in the middle of the expansive space, but Sehun had learned early on that what she lacked in size, she made up with in boldness. 

By tomorrow the empty hall would be filled with expensive flower arrangements and ice sculptures. Hopefully the extravagant decorations will help Sehun blend into the background. He’s never been the biggest fan of attention. In the years since it was revealed that he was the secret prince of Chenovia, he’s made an effort to keep himself out of the press and under the radar. 

“People have been eager to meet you for years. It would be a shame to keep them waiting any longer.” she reminds him, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, everything will go just fine.” 

Tomorrow would be Sehun’s official debut to society as the prince. He can’t wait to begin sharing all his ideas for philanthropy and policy improvement, but being the star of a royal ball is too far out of his comfort zone. After all, it hasn’t been very long since he was the scrawny, timid kid that used to get pushed into lockers in the hallway. Confidence is still something he’s trying to figure out. 

“Anyhow, while your room is being completed, you can stay in one of the guest rooms. Get some rest tonight and I’ll have your outfit sent to you tomorrow,” his grandmother smiles at him, leading them out of the ballroom in the direction of the living quarters.

“Goodnight grandma.” Sehun pulls his grandma into a hug and places a kiss on her cheek in farewell. Kris leads him down a series of hallways, silent as ever. Even after five years of Kris has serving as his bodyguard, Sehun hasn’t had many conversations with the man. It took Sehun almost a year to get past his intimidating stoic face, but now he can say that he finds comfort in the man’s presence. Being alone in such a new place, Kris’ presence is more welcome to him than ever before.

By the time they get to the room, Sehun feels a headache starting. His grandmother’s video chat prince lessons definitely didn’t prepare him to taking in so much new information at once. With the amount of learning he has left to do, he’d probably be feeling like this on a daily basis for at least a few weeks. 

“You seem exhausted,” Kris hums softly as Sehun collapses onto the soft bed in the corner of the room.

“It’s been a long day,” Sehun sighs, sitting up to pout in Kris’ direction. “For both of us. Go get some rest Kris.” 

“I will,” Kris nods, and moves to take his leave. “And Sehun, you seem kind of lonely. Maybe you should call Chanyeol.” 

With that, he walks through the entry way and shuts the door behind him. Sehun chuckles to himself. Kris wasn’t a man of many words, but the words he did say were always just right. 

Over by the window, Sehun spots his belongings that were probably brought in for him earlier that day. He scrambles over to pull his laptop out of his backpack and open up FaceTime. Without thinking twice, he clicks on Chanyeol’s contact and let’s the call dial. 

“HELLO,” Chanyeol bellows immediately after picking up the call. “Tell me EVERYTHING.” 

Sehun laughs at the sight of his friend. Chanyeol was snuggled under a pile of blankets and his curly hair was a mess on top of his head. 

“You look like you’ve been gaming all day, degenerate.” Sehun rolls his eyes at the sight, picking up his laptop and jumping onto the bed to relax. 

“I have three weeks before I have to work every day of my life, so don’t come at me for enjoying it,” Chanyeol huffs. 

He would be going to work for the UN in diplomacy, a dream Chanyeol has had for his entire life. They had met on the first day of college in their introduction to political science course, and have been inseparable since. It’s only been a two days since he’s seen him, but Sehun misses his best friend too much already. 

“Anyways, let’s talk about the important stuff,” Chanyeol redirects the conversation. “Tell me  _ everything. _ ” 

Sehun thinks for a second on where to begin, and decides to start with the first thing that pops into his head. 

“Well, to start, this place is  _ huge _ .” 

-

Sehun can’t remember ever wearing something that’s fit him as perfectly as the suit that’s currently on his body does. As he walks up to the corridor outside of the east entrance to the ballroom, he sees his grandmother waiting for him in a stunning evening gown. The woman was already sixty years old, but it’s a miracle that never looks a day over forty. 

“Grandma,” Sehun hums, tapping her on the shoulder when he gets close enough. She turns and immediately smiles. 

“Now, don’t you look good in Dior. I have fantastic taste,” she admires, reaching up to smooth down the sleeves of the suit. Sehun finds brief comfort in her presence before he has to walk into a room full of people staring at him. “So, are you ready?” 

Sehun nods, unconfident in his ability to give her a convincing yes. 

After a few seconds of waiting, his grandmother signals a lady who’s standing next to the doors, who signals another person down the hall. Before he knows it, there are trumpets blaring and he’s being pushed in front of the giant double french doors. 

The doors open and he steps through the archway. 

“I now present to you, Sehun, Prince of Chenovia,” a man with a very loud and regal sounding voice shouts through the room. There’s a thundering applause, and even a few cheers here and there. Sehun smiles and raises his arm to wave to the crowd, allowing his eyes to scan the room in the process. 

The room is worlds apart from what he saw yesterday, with twinkling lights and candles decorating the walls and tables. Beautiful flower arrangements sit on top of crisp white linen table covers with rose petals scattered over them. The decorations seem more appropriate for a wedding reception than a party, but Sehun supposes he’ll probably have to get used to the extravagance that comes with living in a palace. 

Carefully, praying that he won’t trip over his own feet, he makes his way down the staircase which is covered in plush red carpet. When he reaches the foot of it, he bows the the crowd and turns towards the doors again to await the entrance of the queen.

“Everyone please bow for the entrance of the queen,” the same voice that introduced him sounds through the room, which promptly falls into a silence. His grandmother glides through the doors, and down the staircase - the epitome of grace. 

When she reaches Sehun’s side, the whole room rises from their bows of respect. The trumpets sound again, and the announcer says his final piece. “Let the festivities begin!” 

With that, the entire room is instantly set in motion as people resume socializing. Sehun is whisked into action, and his grandmother begins to introduce him to various diplomats and members of royalty from around the world. By the time she leaves him at the refreshments table him for a break, his head is spinning. He’s expecting to have a moment to recollect himself, but is quickly proven wrong. 

“Prince,” a charming young man approaches him with a sly smile. He’s handsome, but something about him is slightly off putting, and Sehun can’t figure out exactly what. “Would you spare me a dance?” 

And if he were being completely honest, Sehun would rather do anything else. His legs ache and his head is pounding, but alas, tonight he gets no breaks. 

“Of course…” Sehun trails of, subtly prompting the man for an introduction. 

“Ah, of course. You can call me Key,” the man responds, grabbing Sehun’s arm and dragging him to the dance floor unceremoniously. Sehun prepares to step into his waltz stance, but when Key starts to dance he decides against it. Key begins body rolling to the piece the string quartet is playing in the corner, and with each second that passes, the dance becomes less appropriate for a royal ball and more appropriate for the ratchet bars Sehun used to frequent after rough exam weeks. Sehun didn’t think that it was possible to dirty dance to a string quartet, but Key is somehow managing to prove him wrong. He attempts to keep the shocked expression off of his face, bopping awkwardly along and searching through the crowd for someone to save him. He manages to find Kris, whose eyes go impossibly wide when he looks at what is going on. 

Within seconds, Kris is across the room, “I’m sorry sir, but if you will excuse us. The prince is needed for a moment.” 

Key frowns in displeasure, but shrugs and allows Sehun to be whisked away. Risking a glance back as Kris drags him somewhere else, Sehun already sees Key looking for a new target. What a strange, strange man. 

He finds refuge in a rather secluded corner of the ballroom, and asks Kris to steal him more snacks from the table. A minute after he leaves, Sehun understands that no hiding place is good enough, because he is approached yet again. 

The boy that walks up to him this time is wearing a fitted suit much like his. He looks about the same age as Sehun and walks with a bounce in his step. His face is decorated with a wide smile that shows all of his teeth. The boy looks nice enough, and honestly anything would be better than what he just experienced with Key. 

“Hi, um,” the boy comes up to him. “So my dad wants me to ask you to dance I guess.” He pauses. “Not that I don’t want to dance with you! I love to dance actually.” 

“Oh really? So do I,” Sehun grins in return. A decently handsome boy with shared interests? Sehun doesn’t mind it a bit. “Wanna go out there then?” Sehun gestures towards the middle of the ballroom and the boy nods eagerly in response. 

As the walk over, the boy finally introduces himself. “I’m Mino by the way.” When they finally find themselves on the dance floor, Mino turns around to face him. “And I’m going to be the winner of your heart.” 

Sehun’s face scrunches up in confusion, and before he can formulate a response to that, Mino begins to dance. Sehun’s jaw drops almost instantly at the sight in front of him. Mino’s outfit makes him look like proper nobility, but his dance moves look like they came straight out of the Gettin’ Jiggy With It music video. Once again, Sehun finds himself awkwardly bopping along, trying his best not to laugh. He’s all for hip hop dancing, having done it all through college, but seeing it in this setting was downright hilarious. 

Sehun keeps with it for about a minute, before he starts to rack his brain for excuses to leave. He’s almost about to apologize and turn to find his grandmother, before he feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns, and his jaw drops for a completely different reason this time. The man in front of him was all tan skin and lean muscle, and it made Sehun’s mouth go dry. This man was  _ hot _ . And exactly Sehun’s type. 

“Would you mind if I cut in?” The man directs towards Mino, who breaks out of his dance induced trance to understand what’s going on. 

“Oh of course!” Mino exclaims, bowing and stepping away. “See you around Sehun!” 

Sehun is left utterly confused, staring after Mino, when the sound of someone’s throat clearing reminds him that Mr. Adonis is standing right behind him. Sehun slowly turns around and attempts to school his expression into one of nonchalance. 

“Would you spare me a dance, my prince?” 

It’s the same line that Key used, but coming out of this man’s mouth, it sounds oh-so-different. 

“Of course,” Sehun responds, bowing slightly. He’s relieved when the man assumes a traditional waltz pose. He raises his arms, and lets the man take his hand and start whirling them around the dance floor - literally sweeping Sehun off his feet. “Thanks for saving me.” 

“I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I didn’t, would I, prince?” he hums under his breath. Every signal the man is throwing at Sehun is flirtier than the last, whether it be the tone of his voice or the way that he somehow manages to pull Sehun closer with every step of their dance. It could be the wine he drank earlier, but the proximity is making him feel dizzy. Sehun can’t help but melt into the man’s strong arms. 

They continue to dance for the next few songs, throwing flirtatious comments at each other, and Sehun’s insides are fluttering. When the trumpets sound for the final time throughout the room, signaling the end of the night, Sehun can’t help but feel disappointed. The man’s grip loosens on him and they step away from each other. 

“Well, your highness, I must say that it’s been a pleasure,” the man bows deeply and begins to step back into the shuffling crowd. “I hope to see you soon.” 

And with that, the man turns on a heel and disappears into the crowd. Sehun stands, awestruck for a moment, before being bumped in the shoulder by an incredibly apologetic young woman in a ballgown. Shaken out of his stupor, Sehun begins to search for Kris. As always, the man finds him first, striding up to him and tapping him on the shoulder.

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself out there,” Kris smirks, eyeing him curiously. A blush dusts Sehun’s face and he trains his eyes on his shoes. “Come along, let’s get you to your grandmother. She’s been wondering where you disappeared to.” 

They find her in conversation with a stout old man. Sehun can tell by the expression on her face that she doesn’t seem very pleased. He approaches them tentatively and clears his throat to alert them of his presence. 

“Ah, and this must be the prince,” the man comments, eyebrows rising. “Handsome young man you are.” 

“Uh, thanks,” Sehun responds, slightly uncomfortable. 

“This is the second commanding councilmen in our parliament,” the queen introduces. The puzzle pieces align in Sehun’s head. There’s not much he knows about the parliament he would have to preside over one day, but he  _ does _ know that his grandmother absolutely loathes this man. 

“I hope you’re preparing hard, my boy,” the councilmen continues. “Ruling a country isn’t an easy feat. Especially for a foreigner.” 

With that, he bows and turns to leave, stealing Sehun’s opportunity to respond. Sehun frowns and turns to his grandmother. 

“I don’t like him.” 

“Well, that makes two of us,” she chuckles, patting him on the arm. The ballroom is quickly clearing out, and Sehun hopes that they’ll be able to leave soon as well. Kris seems to sense his thoughts. 

“Would you like me to lead the prince to his room for the night, my queen?” Kris asks, tentatively taking a step towards the east doors that they entered through. 

“Ah yes, Sehun must be tired. I will see you both tomorrow for lessons, alright?” she waves them off. “Bright and early, Sehun!” 

Sehun groans, and his grandmother laughs in response. He wonders how hard it would be to lock himself in his room so that no one can wake him up tomorrow. Kris leads them down a different series of hallways that looks no more familiar than it did yesterday. Sehun wonders if he’ll ever be able to navigate the palace without getting lost. The thought quickly turns into a fantasy of him getting lost in the palace and being rescued by the beautiful man he danced with. He would grab his arm and push him in to the wall and then they would-

“Ahem,” Kris grunts loudly, startling Sehun out of his daydreaming that was going from family friendly to rated R very quickly. Sehun realizes that they’ve reached his room already and flushes a light pink. 

“Thanks, Kris,” he squeaks, hurrying into the room and quickly shutting the door behind him. He ignores the fact that Kris is definitely laughing at him and instead shrugs off his suit jacket as he searches for pajamas with the lingering regret of not asking for a name. 

Hopefully he would get a second chance to find out. 

-

_ “And what is it that you want, my prince?” the man from the ball whispers seductively into his ear. _

_ “Your name,” Sehun breathes back, feeling dizzy at their proximity. They’re sitting in the palace gardens, so close that Sehun is almost in the man’s lap.  _

_ “Now, that’s quite boring,” the man chuckles, stroking Sehun’s cheek with his knuckles. “Why ask for my name when I could give you so much more?”  _

_ The man leans in until his breath is ghosting over Sehun’s lips. He leans in closer, and closer, and- _

“Rise and shine, your royal highness!” 

Sehun startles awake with a scream. He blinks his eyes open to see two strange boys hovering over him on either side of the bed. Scrambling up to sit, Sehun regards them with slight apprehension, wondering if he should be calling for security. 

“Uhh,” Sehun mumbles, eyebrows scrunching together. 

“Oh how stupid of us. We haven’t introduced ourselves!” one of the boys runs over to the other side of the bed, joining his companion. “I’m Johnny.” 

“And I’m Jaehyun!” the other boy pipes up. 

“And we’re your new butlers,” Johnny finishes. With that the boys launch into a series of bows, leaving Sehun at a loss for what to do. 

“That’s enough, boys.” Kris enters the room, saving Sehun for the hundredth time in his life. On command, the boys stop mid bow. “Go do your errands for the day, we’ll call you when we need you.” 

Bouncing up, Jaehyun nods eagerly. “Sounds good! See you soon your highness!” 

With that the two boys hop out of the room, singing in unison. 

“What the fuck?” Sehun asks Kris in awe. 

“They’re quite,” Kris pauses, searching for the right words. “Unique, if you will. But they’re very sweet. You’ll like them.” 

Sehun takes his word for it. They did seem pretty entertaining, so maybe they’d make good friends. 

“Your grandmother is expecting us in fifteen minutes,” he continues, looking at Sehun’s appearance with eyebrows raised. 

Sehun rolls out of bed with a groan. “Can I have twenty?” 

“At your own risk,” Kris shrugs. Sehun considers the risk for a moment and shakes his head. No amount of lethargy could make him voluntarily sign up for his grandmother’s wrath. Gathering his things at the speed of light, he runs into the bathroom to make himself look presentable, all the while wishing he could return to his dream and see what that kiss really feels like.

-

Sehun walks into the lesson room just one minute late. Realizing the room is empty, he sighs with relief. He’ll have to get better about setting his alarms from now on. 

He takes a seat on one of the chaise lounges and leans back, draping the throw blanket sitting at the foot of it over his legs. Slowly, he feels his eyes fluttering closed on their own volition until a bark in his face has him startled awake for the second time this morning. When he opens his eyes, he’s nose to nose with a small white fluff ball. 

“I see you’ve met Vivi,” his grandmother sings as she enters the room. “I thought he would be able to keep you company as you adjust to place life.”

Sehun scoops the puppy up to cradle it in his arms. “Oh, he’s adorable,” he coos, holding it close to him.

“Now let’s get to work for today!” she exclaims, motioning him to rise and join her at the table setting in the back corner of the room. “Today we’ll be reviewing table etiquette.” 

Sehun places Vivi on the chaise and gets up to join her across the table. One look at the spread of utensils in front of him is already overwhelming. 

For thirty painstalking minutes, his grandmother teaches him the significance and appropriate use of every single utensil on the table. It’s slightly absurd to him that there are  _ three  _ different forks and one of them is exclusively for fish, but according to his grandma there is some strange importance attached to it. It’s safe to say that he was not paying attention to her explanation of it.

“So, does that all make sense?” his grandmother asks, wrapping up the lesson. The answer is definitely no. 

“For the most part!” Sehun exclaims, trying his best to mask any confusion. It’s hard for him to accept the fact that international law is easier for him to understand than table settings, but it seems that somehow it is. He’ll just have to do some heavy google searching later tonight. 

“Perfect, our first formal dinner is just around the corner, so make sure you prepare,” she alerts him as she steps away from the table to walk outside. “Anyhow, I must be off to my parliament council meeting now. You’re free to explore the palace on your own for the rest of the day, so enjoy your time off.”

“Thanks grandma,” Sehun grins, following her towards the door fo the room. After three days of being whisked all over the palace for fittings, balls, and lessons, he could really use some time to himself. 

They part ways outside, with Sehun deciding to walk in the opposite direction in search of adventure. Vivi trots along his side, already a loyal companion. Within minutes, Sehun already finds himself lost in the winding paths of the palace corridors. The walls seem to be getting more and more dusty as he ventures into the older part of the castle that was being preserved for historical purposes. He doesn't even know if he’s supposed to be here, but that doesn’t stop him from doing deeper. 

Vivi excitedly leads him through one of the many doors into a room full of statues and coats of armor. In the corner of the room, Sehun sees a helmet lying slightly off kilter on top of one of the many coats. It bothers him enough that he decides to go fix it. As he shifts the helmet back into place, he hears a latch click to his left. He turns to see a trap door swing open, leaving a wide hole in the door. Now  _ this _ is exactly the kind of adventure he was looking for. 

Whispering a little ‘shh’ to Vivi, who probably doesn’t even understand him, he leads the both of them through the trap door into a stone tunnel. He hears voices echoing through the tunnel and follows the sound towards a small room. It must connect to the room that the parliament meets in, because he can hear his grandmother addressing the room clearly. Looking closer, he’s able to find a missing stone in the wall that he can peek through in order to catch a glance at the proceedings. He probably wasn’t the first one to have done this. 

“The prince will soon assume the throne, and I have begun his etiquette lessons already,” the queen notifies her parliament. “He’s a very smart boy who’s brimming with ideas, so I’m not at all worried about his inevitable blossom into a capable king.” 

The room erupts into a murmur of agreement, which gives Sehun a boost of confidence. It’s nice to that not everyone thinks of him the same way the councilmen from the ball does. Which speaking of the devil-

“Well, I’d like to express my concern,” the man speaks up, prompting a startled silence among the rest of the people in the room. 

“And what exactly would you like to say, Councilman Kim?” the queen asks with grace. If Sehun hadn’t known of her distaste for the man, she would certainly be fooling him right now. 

“He’s a _foreigner_ ,” the Councilman Kim drawls, banging his hand o n the podium in front of him. “We can’t just hand our country over to some American boy.” 

“What solution can you offer?” someone else calls from somewhere in the room. 

“My nephew Duke Jongin has been raised and schooled here for his entire life,” Councilman Kim hums. “If I were to be honest, he’d be a much better asset to the monarchy. A true Chenovian ruling Chenovia.”

The room considers the point fairly. “I suppose this is true,” some councilmen whisper to each other. Sehun’s heart sinks. 

“Hold on,” his grandmother calls, silencing the room. “We must at least give the boy a chance to prove himself.” 

“You are right,” the councilman considers with a suspicious lilt in his voice. “Luckily, there is an age old tradition that the prince must abide by if he would like to be crowned king! He must get married.” 

Sehun’s jaw drops.  _ Marriage? _ No one ever told him about that rule. 

“My gosh, it’s 2018, we can’t possibly still enforce that rule,” the queen exclaims, attempting to introduce some sense to the conversation. 

_ Yeah grandma, you tell them,  _ Sehun thinks to himself. 

“He does have a point,” the councilmen that speaks this time is sitting in what looks to be the most important seat in the room. “The prince  _ must  _ be married. And soon.” 

“Surely you can’t mean too soon he’s only-” his grandmother attempts. 

“30 days!” he calls, interrupting her mid-sentence. “The prince must find and marry his spouse within 30 days. And if he fails, I suppose we will have no choice but to consider the Duke for the throne as well.” The head councilman’s order puts an air of finality on the argument, leaving Councilman Kim looking disgustingly smug.

Sehun can feel the anxiety building in him, and apparently Vivi can feel it too, because he lets out a loud bark in Sehun’s direction. Sehun’s eyes go impossibly wide, and before he can listen to murmurs of “what was that?” erupting through the room, he turns on a heel and runs in the direction he came from, Vivi following close behind. 

By the time he reaches the statue room, he’s out of breath and his heart is pounding for more reasons than one. The parliament’s argument replays in his head, and there’s only one thought running through his mind. 

He’s royally screwed. 

-

“What were you thinking, bringing Vivi into that tunnel?” Sehun’s grandmother exclaims as she paces around the same room they were in this morning for the lesson. “I’m not going to say that I never eavesdropped on parliament meetings, but I didn’t ever brought a  _ dog _ with me.” 

“I was just exploring and he followed me?” Sehun tries sheepishly. His grandmother sighs and finally takes a break from her pacing to sit on the couch across from him.

“So you definitely heard everything, didn’t you?” 

“Yep,” Sehun frowns, sinking backwards into the soft cushions of the couch. “Arranged marriages? Who even does that these days?”

“It happens quite often in monarchies,” she says, getting up to sit next to him and wrap an arm around his shoulder. 

“Are you sure? I’m pretty sure Prince Harry just married the girl from Suits on his own terms.”  

“The British monarchy isn’t real, Sehun. Everyone knows that,” she sighs. “You know, it’s not as bad as you might think. Your grandfather and I were very fond of each other’s company for many years.” 

Sehun thinks about that. He never had the chance to meet his father and grandfather, both having passed away before his grandma came to tell him about his lineage. From her stories, however, his grandpa seemed to be a jolly old man. But something still doesn’t sit well in his stomach. 

“I mean, fondness sounds great, but I guess,” Sehun shrugs, turning towards his grandmother. “I guess I always imagined that I’d fall in love.” 

Her expression immediately turns guilty, and Sehun almost regret saying the words. 

“Sehun, you don’t have to do this if that’s not what you want,” she reminds him softly. And Sehun supposes it’s true. This Jongin kid would likely do just fine in his place if he were to refuse an arranged marriage. 

But Sehun doesn’t  _ want _ to give it up. He wants to make a difference for the people of his country and rule the country with pride. He wants to join his father on the wall commemorating the country’s monarchs. 

“I want to make a difference,” Sehun states with conviction, looking his grandmother straight in the eyes. “And if an arranged marriage is the only way, I guess I have no choice but to do it.” 

The pride in his grandmother’s eyes almost calms his nerves for what is to come. 

Almost, but not quite.

-

The next morning, Johnny and Jaehyun come in wheeling a giant clothing rack behind them.

“What’s this for?” Sehun asks. He just finished slipping into his most comfortable pair of jeans, and nothing on that rack looks nearly as pleasant as what he’s wearing. 

“The queen sent it over, apparently you have to pick from these options this morning,” Johnny explains gesturing grandly at the rack. He moves to pick one of the many suits off the rack to hold it up. “This one gets a 10/10 on Johnny’s Fashion Evaluation. I’d recommend it.” 

He’s holding up a paisley green suit jacket with khaki pants. In Sehun’s opinion it looks like hot garbage. 

“That’s so ugly,” Jaehyun deadpans, sifting through the rack to find another one. Sehun is glad at least one of them is sane. Jaehyun pulls out another one. “But  _ this  _ one. This one is straight fire.” 

Sehun realizes he spoke too soon when he sees Jaehyun admiring a black, red and white camo suit. He figures it’s time to take this into his own hands. Luckily he’s able to find a casual t-shirt and blazer combo that looks comfortable enough to wear for the rest of the day. He runs into the bathroom to quickly change.

“Johnny’s Fashion Evaluation,” Johnny announces with a camera in his hands when Sehun exits the bathroom. Johnny approaches him and starts filming him from every possible angle that he can. “Now first, your highness, tell me about your fashion for today.” 

“Uh, what?” Sehun frowns at the camera in his face. “Johnny what the hell are you doing?” 

“These pants fit really well, and they make his ass look  _ divine _ ,” Johnny continues, paying Sehun no attention. “And this shirt is Balenciaga, flexing the high fashion, are you prince? I like it.” 

Jaehyun comes over and starts spinning Sehun around against his will. 

“And to top it all off, we’ve got this sleek and  _ sexy _ blazer that makes his torso look even longer than it already is.” Johnny comes closer with the camera and invades Sehun’s personal space for a second, before retreating.

Flipping the camera back onto his own face, Johnny finishes up. “Overall I give this fashion a 9/10, effortlessly stylish, but still not as nice as this blazer over here.” 

Johnny walks over to the rack to get a close up of the ugly green blazer, and then stops the recording. 

“Dude that was sick,” Jaehyun grins, going over to Johnny to give him a high five.

“Man, I don’t think we even have to edit this,” Johnny gushes, reviewing the footage. 

. 

“Guys what are you doing?” Sehun tries asking again, regaining their attention. 

“Oh right,” Jaehyun pipes, turning back to him. “We’re applying to film school later this year, so we’re working on our portfolio.”

“We started this mini-series called Johnny’s Fashion Evaluation for palace fashion,” Johnny explains further. “We can show you later if you want!” 

Sehun chuckles at their antics. “I’d love to see it, but I think we have somewhere to be right now?” 

“Oh right,” Jaehyun grabs the camera and turns it off. “We’re late, let’s get out of here.” 

They lead him out to one of the many palace entrances where his grandmother is waiting for him. 

“What’s going on?” Sehun asks as they approach her. She looks slightly frazzled, which is really out of the ordinary. 

“Well, this is quite sudden, but it seems that Duke Jongin is coming to stay at the palace for the next few weeks.” 

“The guy who’s trying to steal my throne?” Sehun asks incredulously. “Why is he coming here?” 

“It’s probably another ploy of his uncle’s,” she rolls her eyes. “Anyways, stay poised and polite. They’ll be here any minute now. He might be our enemy, but we can’t act like it bothers us.” 

Sehun nods in understanding and turns towards the door to wait, anticipating just what kind of person would be walking through the door. 

Seconds later, what he ends up seeing leaves him frozen and his heart leaping into his throat. “No fucking way,” Sehun exhales under his breath, earning a slight jab from his grandmother. It was the senselessly attractive guy from the ball. He was dressed in a fitted white shirt and black slacks that hugged his thighs perfectly, and Sehun had to internally reprimand himself for thirsting again _.  _

_ This _ was the guy that was trying to steal his throne?  

“Your highness,” the man,  _ Duke Jongin _ , bows at the queen. “Your highness,” Jongin turns towards Sehun this time, and bows. “Thank you for your grace in allowing me to stay at the palace.” 

As every second passes, Sehun gets more and more angry at the sight of Jongin in front of him. His grandmother says her own greetings, and suddenly everyone is looking eagerly at him to do the same. 

To be fair, he really tries to listen to his grandmother’s words to be poised and polite, but it’s just really hard. Sehun can’t believe that this guy played him like one of the violins in that string quartet. 

So, instead of bowing and greeting his new guest, Sehun decides to do something completely different and a lot more self serving. Stalking up to Jongin, he lets the anger on his face show plainly. 

“You should know,” Sehun fumes as he stands chest to Very Toned Chest with the Duke. “That you’re a fucking jerk.” 

With that, Sehun lifts his foot and stomps his heel into Jongin’s toes with as much strength as he can, causing the other man to double over in pain and let out a groan. Trying his best to avoid thinking about what that groan would sound like if Jongin was instead doubled over the footbard of his bed and-

“Sehun!” his grandmother gasps, quickly getting Sehun’s thoughts back on track from the seriously inappropriate direction they were heading in. Without a second thought, Sehun turns on a heel and stalks off, avoiding to think about the wrath of his grandmother for a second. 

Right now all he can think about is the tiny hole in his heart that Jongin Kim just created, and it fucking sucks. 

-

Sitting on the floor in the farthest corner of the kitchen from the entrance, Sehun pouts into the tub of ice cream he’s nursing in his arms. It’s been over half an hour, and thankfully no one has found him yet. The last thing he needs right now is a lecture about his bad behavior. 

The Extreme Maximum Fudge Moose Tracks ice cream he found in the freezer is now melting into a pudding, but that’s not stopping him from shoveling it into his mouth nonetheless. The Extreme Maximum Fudge is the only thing that’s taking his mind off the the Extreme Maximum Embarrassment that is his life. 

“There you are.” Sehun looks up to see his grandmother standing over him with a frown on her face. “This is a bit cliche don’t you think?”

His grandmother then does the last thing he’d ever expect of her and joins him on the ground. “Kris explained to me why you might be a little upset.” 

Sehun just slumps down further and pouts a little harder. 

“I understand how upset you are, but Sehun dear you have to put it behind you,” she sighs, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. “There are a lot of eyes on you right now, and even the slightest misstep can become a case against your claim to the throne.” 

“Fine,” Sehun sighs, sitting up a little. “I understand. But I still hate him.” 

“That’s completely fair,” she smiles, endearment showing on her face. “Now, get on up. I have a surprise for you that might lift your spirits.”

She carefully pries the completely melted ice cream out of his iron grip, and puts it back in the freezer. Begrudgingly, Sehun rises to his feet and follows her out of the kitchen and and down the winding halls of the palace. Before long, they’re standing outside a door in what his grandmother tells him are the east quarters of the palace. 

“Open it,” she prompts him, nudging his arm a little. Sehun complies and swings the door open, stepping inside with curiosity. 

“Whoa,” he exhales, looking around the room. 

“Welcome to your new bedroom!” his grandmother exclaims with a grin on her face.

The entire room is covered in cremes and deep reds. It’s simple and luxurious all at the same time, with comfortable furniture scattered all over and exquisite four poster bed stealing his attention in the middle of it. Much like the rest of the palace, the room was ginormous, complete with two sitting areas and a whole play area for Vivi, who was already putting it to good use. 

“I love it,” Sehun laughs, running over to the bed and jumping right on. He sinks into the mattress comfortably and decides that he never wants to get up. 

“Dude, come on, we just made that!” Johnny whines from the corner of the room where he’s filming the whole thing like they’re on MTV Cribs.  

“Wait, you have to see the best part,” Jaehyun comes up behind him and drags him towards another set of doors where his grandmother is waiting. Sehun opens the door and is shocked to the core when he sees the inside. 

“I made sure that you have a closet fit for a prince,” his grandmother muses as they all enter the room together.

“Dude, we’re gonna film so many episodes of Johnny’s Fashion Evaluation in here,” Johnny admires under his breath to Jaehyun who seems to be bubbling in excitement. Sehun rolls his eyes and returns his attention to the closet. 

Lining the walls were suits and accessories of every brand Sehun could think of. It honestly felt like he was in a dream. 

“You might want to open that cabinet over there,” his grandmother points towards a floor to ceiling cabinet door in the far corner of the room. Sehun walks over, wondering if anything can be better than what he’s already seen, and when he opens the door, he finds out that there definitely can. 

“Yo,” Chanyeol nods at him, lounging on one of the shelf racks with a pair of ridiculous Gucci sunglasses and a strange bucket hat on his head. “This closet is  _ insane.  _ Thank god we’re the same size.” 

Sehun drags him out of the cabinet and throws his arms around him. “I missed you so much,” Sehun shrieks, practically jumping on top of Chanyeol. “I have so much to tell you. Everything’s a mess.” 

“It can’t be that bad. We talked, like, two days ago,” Chanyeol bemuses with his signature grin painted on his face. 

“Chanyeol, I’m getting married,” Sehun mumbles, and the expression on his best friend’s face changes instantly. 

“What? To who?” Chanyeol yells back, loud voice echoing through the room. 

“You see, that’s the thing,” Sehun sighs, slumping his shoulders. “I have no freaking clue.” 

-

Sehun doesn’t know what his grandmother was thinking when tasking Johnny and Jaehyun with compiling his potential suitors into a presentation. Perhaps she wasn’t thinking at all, because the result that they’re looking at is eerily reminiscent to those Unhelpful Guide powerpoints you find on Tumblr - complete with comic sans and badly photoshopped pictures.

“For option one, I’d like to present to you Mr. Key Kim,” Johnny announces from the corner, flipping to the first slide. It’s littered with random phrases, including “high fashion”, “cool hair”, “eccentric”, and “sexy dance”. 

“Absolutely not,” Sehun shouts in protest. War flashbacks of attempting to dance with the man at the ball a few weeks ago play in his head.

“Aww, he looks kinda cute though,” Chanyeol frowns, tilting his head to the side. 

“Just dance with him once and you’ll change your mind,” Sehun shudders, trying to shake the memories away. He catches Kris snickering to himself in the corner and shoots him a dirty look. 

“Alright, well option two is Prince Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul of Thailand,” Jaehyun introduces the next slide. 

“Now that boy is mighty fine,” Johnny stares at the picture collage that he created dreamily. Sehun spots the phrase “it’s getting hot in here” on the slide and almost spits his drink out laughing. 

“He’s also jailbait,” Chanyeol dismisses with the shake of a head. 

“Let’s make sure to invite him to the wedding so Johnny can meet the man of his dreams,” Sehun chortles unattractively as Johnny pouts in the corner. 

“Ignored,” Johnny prattles, switching the slide once again. “Here we have Socialite Yoona Im. Truly a goddess if I must say so myself.” 

“I’m gay?” Sehun questions, eyebrows furrowing. 

“I know Sehun, but it doesn’t hurt to admire her face, does it?” his grandmother coos at the picture. “I wish I had a granddaughter like that.” 

“Alright, let’s move this along,” Sehun prompts, shaking his head in endearment. This is much more fun than he expected it to be. 

“Alright, now I think this one is promising,” Jaehyun calls out as he flips to the next slide. 

“Damn,” Chanyeol whistles at the photo on the screen. Sehun can’t help but agree. 

“Baekhyun Byun is a descendant of royalty, but spends most of his time working on the non-profit he started a few years ago for water accessibility,” Jaehyun reads off of a card. “He loves photography, and is a street fashion enthusiast - recently starting his own brand. On top of it all he’s known to be the biggest sweetheart.” 

Sehun considers the information in front of him. The man was definitely attractive, and seemed to fit all the right qualities for someone who would be helping him rule Chenovia. Baekhyun emulated kindness, selflessness and poise just from a photograph, and Sehun could imagine it to be even stronger in person. The people would  _ love  _ him. 

“I like him,” his grandmother gushes, looking eagerly towards Sehun. “He seems like a perfect fit. And he’s adorable.” 

“Really adorable,” Chanyeol nudges him, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Sehun sighs and considers it for a moment longer. “Yeah he is. A perfect fit, I mean. I’ll meet him.” 

The room erupts into cheer around him. He smiles stiffly and thinks about how little time he spent to pick the man he would be spending the rest of his life with. It was all happening too fast, and Sehun doesn’t feel even the slightest bit ready. 

“Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine, alright,” Chanyeol slings an arm around him. “Worst case, if you decide you hate him you can just ditch him at the altar and marry me.” 

“Aww, you’d ditch your job for me?” Sehun chuckles, leaning into his best friend’s half hug. 

“Hell no. I’m going to be a working husband, don’t get it twisted.” 

Sehun erupts into another bout of laughter. Despite the sinking feeling in his stomach, he’s glad that he has enough people around him to lift his spirits. If he can keep relying on them, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. And who knows? Maybe Baekhyun Byun would surprise him.

Hopefully in a good way. 

-

Sehun is a few seconds away from throwing a temper tantrum when his Hermes scarf threatens to blow away for the fourth time that afternoon. He’s annoyed, cold and simply just over it all. 

“I’m sorry, but you have to know,” Sehun huffs under his breath. “I literally hate this so much.” 

Sehun hurries farther along the beach, arm linked with Baekhyun’s, attempting to get as far away from the press as he possibly can. It seems to be impossible, because no matter how fast they go, the media circus somehow manages to catch up with them. Sehun doesn’t know who thought it would be a good idea to invite the press to their first meeting, but it’s really getting on his nerves. Trying to get to know the man he would be spending the rest of his life with while being filmed and photographed was just downright uncomfortable. 

“That makes two of us,” Baekhyun groans, empathizing with his frustrations. “You’d think they’d be satisfied with getting their photo op and getting out, but no. They’ve been at it for over two hours and we’ve been doing absolutely  _ nothing  _ other than walking around.” 

“Maybe they're waiting for a big moment,” Sehun shrugs, attempting to keep the sour expression off of his face. At Baekhyun’s snicker, it’s obvious that he’s failing. “Something front page worthy.” 

Baekhyun considers it for a moment, and a mischievous smile appears on his face. Sehun is about to ask what he has up his sleeve when his scarf loosens around his neck  _ again.  _ He’s about to reach up and stop it from flying off into the water, but Baekhyun stops his hand from moving. Before he knows it, his scarf is rolling along the beach, and Baekhyun breaks away from him to go chasing after it. 

After a few tries and a decently long chase, he returns to Sehun’s side, scarf in hand. Instead of handing it back to him, he makes a show of reaching up to wrap the scarf around Sehun’s neck, getting awfully close to him. The media coos at them, snapping pictures at the speed of light, and by the time Baekhyun steps away after finishing with the scarf, Sehun finally understands what’s going on. 

“How’s that for a photo op,” he whispers with a smirk on his face, causing Sehun to break into a wide grin. 

“My hero,” Sehun mock swoons in return, looping their arms back together so they can hurry farther down the beach. Baekhyun’s plan worked, because the press is no longer following them, too busy reviewing their footage of the cutest royal moment in history. 

They continue to walk down the beach, exchanging small talk and banter. They slowly learn about each other, and with every exchange of words, Sehun is more and more convinced that this could work. Compatibility wasn’t a problem at all, and the conversation was rather comfortable. Sehun had been wishing for more of a spark, but beggars can’t be choosers. Baekhyun would be good for the monarchy, and he’d be a good companion for Sehun as well. 

Hanging out with the shorter man reminds him a lot of spending time with Chanyeol or even Johnny and Jaehyun. If anything, Sehun is convinced that a life with this man would never be lonely, and frankly that might just be enough.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Baekhyun interrupts his thoughts, eyes looking up at him and shining with curiosity. Sehun shrugs nonchalantly in response. 

“I don’t know really. I guess I’m just thinking about how this isn’t half bad” Sehun hums, meeting Baekhyun’s gaze. A look of understanding passes over his expression and it’s relieving to see that his future fiance might feel exactly the same as he does about all of this. 

“You know what, Sehun? I think I might just agree with you.” 

-

Sehun walks into his room with a smile on his face, returning from his second date with Baekhyun. They had walked through the gardens for hours, and Baekhyun had even pulled out his camera and started snapping staged ‘candid’ pictures of Sehun. He can’t deny that it was fun but-

“You look happy!” Chanyeol startles him from where he’s lounging on Sehun’s bed with Vivi in his lap. “Successful date?” 

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Sehun shrugs, hanging up his scarf and jumping up on the bed to join them. “It was comfortable?” 

“That’s good. Wait, is that good?” Chanyeol asks with a frown. Out of everyone he knows, Chanyeol was probably having the hardest time adjusting to the idea of Sehun being forced to get married so quickly. It was hard for him to look out for his best friends happiness when there wasn’t much of a choice at hand. 

“It’s okay,” Sehun sighs, smiling genuinely. “We get along really well and I think we could be really really good friends.” 

“But?” Chanyeol prompts, sensing the underlying hesitation that was probably resonating off of Sehun’s whole being. 

“But I always imagined myself falling in love, you know?” Sehun continues truthfully. “It’s not bad, but there’s just no spark. No electricity.” 

He forces himself to stop thinking about the last time he felt like that at the ball. It was really time for him to stop thinking about stupid Duke Jongin and his stupid attractive face. After all, he would be getting engaged soon and-

“Dude, if you’re gonna keep thirsting over that throne stealing jerk, at least be subtle about it,” Chanyeol sniggers, wiggling his eyebrows at him. Sehun groans and chucks a pillow at his head. 

“It’s not my fault he’s so  _ dreamy _ okay?” Sehun pouts, climbing onto the bed and curling his legs up to wrap his arms around them. He rests his chin on his knees and sighs forlornly. “It’s all gonna be okay, right Chanyeol?” he whispers, needing some reassurement to settle the uncertainty that’s weighing heavily in his stomach. 

“Sehun, it’s all going to be just fine,” Chanyeol whispers back comfortingly, giving him a meaningful look. Sehun forces himself to pretend he believes it. 

It almost works. 

-

The third date brings the press back into the equation, much to Sehun’s chagrin. He wants to groan and complain about how annoying it is, but he also knows what the press’ presence must mean. There’s a huge part of him that definitely doesn’t feel ready for what’s about to come. It’s only been a week since he’s met Baekhyun and it’s just too soon for-

“Sehun,” Baekhyun grabs his arm, stopping him from walking any further through the gardens. The scenery is beautiful, green shrubs and pink flowers decorating the garden around them with a beautiful fountain not too far away. The pictures would turn out beautiful.

“I just wanted to say how much I’ve appreciated our time together since we’ve met. And I’m honored that you chose me.” Baekhyun drops down on one knee, and at the same time, Sehun’s heart drops into the depths of his stomach. “This week has proven to me that we have such a promising future together, and I’d be honored if you would accept me as yours.”

Baekhyun pulls out a small box from his pocket, and opens it to reveal a glimmering gold band studded with diamonds. Sehun has always been a plain silver kind of person himself, but again this wasn’t really a choice he had to make. 

Taking a deep breath, he plasters a smile onto his face and looks Baekhyun straight in the eye. “The honor would be all mine, Baekhyun. Let’s get married.” 

Baekhyun’s mouth erupts into a beaming smile that  _ almost _ reaches his eyes. They exchange a meaningful look as he slips the ring onto Sehun’s finger. It was too soon, and they both felt it. But they would have time to come. They would have forever.

And as much as Sehun should feel comforted by that thought, it leaves him feeling just a little hollow instead. 

-

Impulsiveness isn’t something Sehun would usually consider his strong suit, but today he really needs a break. After four hours of etiquette training and another eavesdropping session on today's parliament meeting, he’s exhausted. There would be people looking for him soon for whatever training or briefing he was needed for next, but they could wait until Sehun was ready for it. A part of him feels like a petulant child, however, after over three weeks of being surrounded by people non-stop, he feels like he deserves this. 

He’s strolling around the grand entrance, which contrary to his original belief, is probably the least frequented part of the entire palace. Nobody really walked in and out of palace grounds - those who were outside stayed there, and those who were inside tended to be confined to the palace walls. It wasn’t that bad, given that Sehun could find anything he could ever need inside the palace, but he wouldn’t mind going out in public every now and then. 

“There you are! I found him!” Jaehyun’s voice calls from behind him. Sehun internally groans as he whips around and puts a finger to his lips so that Jaehyun quiets down. The boy’s eyes go wide in understanding. 

“I’m in the east wing, okay?” he whispers, scurrying away quickly to hide behind the winding staircase. Sehun finally has a good enough understanding of the palace to know what wing would be the farthest away from where they were now. 

“Where is he?” Sehun hears Johnny’s voice echo through the halls. 

“It wasn’t him, it was a ghost! But someone told me he was in the east wing.” Jaehyun exclaims, leading Johnny away by the arm. 

“Spooky. Who told you?”

“Uh, the ghost did! Now let’s go.” 

Sehun chuckles, emerging from his hiding place to take a seat on one of the steps. Sighing, he holds his left hand up to inspect the ring glimmering on his finger. Without keeping track of time, he just continues to stare, letting all of his thoughts and insecurities flood his brain. A frown develops on his face and it deepens the longer he thinks. 

“Having second thoughts?” Sehun hears a voice come from a few steps above him. His stomach sinks and he really doesn’t want to turn around, but he does anyways. 

“No, I’m just admiring this beautiful ring my fiance picked out for me,” Sehun huffs, rolling his eyes and rising from where he’s sitting. 

“Your face didn’t look too happy, but I’ll take your word for it,” Jongin slightly mocks with eyebrows raised. Everything about the other man got on his nerves and gave him butterflies at the same time. 

Sehun ignores him and stomps up the stairs, purposefully jabbing his shoulder into Jongin’s on his way up, causing the other to lose balance. 

“I get that you’re upset, but you don’t have to push me down the stairs,” Jongin complains, quickly recovering and following Sehun up. “Sehun, come on, I’m not trying to play any games, I swear.” 

Sehun scoffs at that, turning around suddenly. Jongin crashes into him, and once again, they’re standing chest to Very Toned Chest.

“Not playing games? Are you kidding me? That’s exactly what you were doing at the ball when you were trying to flirt your way onto the throne,” Sehun seethes, jabbing Jongin in the chest with his pointer finger. 

“I had  _ no _ idea okay?” Jongin sighs exasperatedly. “You must have noticed by now, but my uncle is slightly insane. I have nothing to do with any of this.” 

“Then why the hell are you even here, Duke Jongin?” Sehun challenges, eyebrow quirked. He smirks slightly when Jongin is unable to formulate a response. For once, he feels like he’s won. 

Jongin finally opens his mouth to speak, but before he can get a word out, they hear someone calling Sehun’s name from down the hall. Eyes going wide, Jongin grabs Sehun’s arm and drags them towards a storage closet, flings it open, and shuffles them inside. 

They descend into a silence, staring at each other for a moment, before Sehun realizes that Jongin is still gripping his arm. 

“Um,” he frowns, shaking it slightly until Jongin realizes and instantly lets go. Sehun’s heart starts beating faster at their proximity. He really needs to get out of here. 

“Sehun, just,” Jongin exhales, looking him straight in the eyes. “Just know that I’m not the bad guy, okay? I never meant to hurt you.” 

The charm is rolling off of Jongin in waves again, but Sehun can’t help but feel like he’s being genuine. At a loss for what to say, Sehun chooses to be silent. He doesn’t know how it’s happening, but somehow they seem to be inching closer and closer to each other, until Jongin is just a breath away. Sehun’s eyes almost flutter closed and he’s ready to lean in that last bit before-

“Prince, there you are!” 

They spring apart in shock, turning to see his grandmother’s assistant at the door. The girl seems equally as shocked as them, and for a moment they just stand there awkwardly until she clears her throat. 

“Oh, I apologize for interrupting,” the girl squeaks, a blush dusting her cheeks. “Your highness is wanted in your grandmother’s drawing room!” 

“Yes of course, I’ll head over there now,” Sehun stutters, dashing out of the closet before Jongin can get a word in. He rushes over to where he’s been summoned as quickly as possible, trying to calm down and ignore how fast his heart is beating.

It doesn’t work. 

-

“So your grandmother’s third cousin is the Duchess of East Village?” Baekhyun asks, eyebrows furrowed in ultimate focus. They’re sitting in Sehun’s room, reviewing the family tree flashcards that his grandmother gave them.

“Uhh, I’m probably the wrong person to ask,” Sehun shrugs sheepishly, resulting in an exasperated glare from Baekhyun. 

“Why do I feel like I’m the only one pulling the weight in this relationship?” Baekhyun whines playfully. 

“Probably because you are,” Chanyeol deadpans from one of the lounges where he’s reading a book with Vivi draped over his lap.

“Why is my family so big?” Sehun frowns, studying another one of the flashcards. This one was about the Duke of West Village, who apparently had an obsession with tomatoes and was  _ afraid of handshakes _ . “Also how do you greet a person that is afraid of handshakes?” 

“Blind em’ with those pearly whites,” Baekhyun grins in example. 

“Kinda creepy, 10/10 would not recommend,” Chanyeol calls again, glancing up with mirth in his eyes. 

“You know Baekhyun, I have to say I agree with the big guy on this one,” Sehun snorts, falling back into the pillows lining the headboard of his bed. 

“I only came here to have a good time and be bonded with you eternally through matrimony,” Baekhyun pouts, chucking a pillow at his head. He puts a hand over his chest and dramatically sighs. “And honestly I feel so attacked right now.” 

“Okay that’s enough, you guys are getting nothing done,” Chanyeol groans, getting up and rolling his eyes at them. “Let’s get out of here, I think you’re going stir crazy.” 

Sehun and Baekhyun jump of the bed eagerly, ready for an adventure after hours of studying. 

“Let’s go find Johnny and Jaehyun,” Sehun suggests, leading the way through the corridors towards the kitchens. “They’re the only ones who know where we can have fun in this place.” 

When the make it to the main halls, Sehun sees the last thing he would want to see lurking in the halls, inspecting the paintings on the wall.

“Jongin!” Chanyeol exclaims, grabbing the man’s attention, much to Sehun’s displeasure. Traitor. 

“Oh, hey guys!” Jongin approaches them with a smile on his face. It seems genuine but Sehun knows better. “And you must be Baekhyun.” 

There’s really nothing that should make him nervous about Jongin and Baekhyun meeting, but Sehun currently feels like he’s going to throw up.

“Ah, the throne stealer,” Baekhyun nods knowingly. “It’s nice to finally meet you!” 

“That’s me,” Jongin chuckles, shooting a playful glance at Sehun. “I hope you haven’t heard  _ too _ many bad things about me. On the other hand, Sehun has nothing but praise for you.” 

  
And it all sounds so genuine that it leaves Sehun questioning his entire existence. 

“Well that’s certainly nice to hear. Here I was, thinking he hated me.” Baekhyun jokes, lightly jabbing Sehun in the stomach with his elbow.

“Anyways,” Sehun clears his throat, slowly stepping away from the conversation. “We have, uh,  _ very important _ places to be right now, so we’ll be going.” 

“Oh okay. Uh, I hope to see you guys around I guess?” Jongin smiles, bowing slightly and then turning around to walk off. 

“Aww, he seems nice!” Baekhyun exclaims as soon as he’s out of earshot. “He’s so fluffy and lonely.” 

“No, it’s all an act,” Sehun grinds out between clenched teeth, dragging the other two towards the kitchens. 

“Sehun is just upset that he can’t-” Chanyeol starts, before cutting himself off with wide eyes. 

“Can’t what?” Baekhyun wonders, leaning forward to look past Sehun and at Chanyeol. 

“Uh, nothing,” Chanyeol laughs emptily, shaking his head. Sehun internally groans at his best friend’s stupidity. He sneaks a glance at Baekhyun, who isn’t wearing his usual playful expression anymore. His face looks more serious, and Sehun thinks he can detect a bit of guilt mixed in with wistfulness. It’s a strange blend, and Sehun doesn’t want to think about what it could mean. 

As they continue their journey towards the kitchen, their previous tomfoolery is replaced with a pensive silence, each of them lost inside their own heads. 

And in that moment, Sehun finally realizes that pretending can only get you so far. 

-

“It’s royal tradition, Sehun,” his grandmother pleads as they sit in another training session. Sehun groans in response. He’s sick of hearing that excuse. 

“Not leaving the palace to go outside like a normal person is royal tradition. Getting  _ married _ is royal tradition. And now I have to ride a horse?” Sehun complains frustratedly, snuggling Vivi into his arms for comfort. 

“This is the last thing I will ask of you Sehun,” she continues, almost pouting. “After this I promise it will be smooth sailing. Just practice for a day and you’ll be a pro!”

Practicing for only a day with zero experience sounds like a recipe for disaster, but honestly what  _ hasn’t _ been since he got here. 

“Fine, I’ll do it,” Sehun concedes, done arguing. “When do I have to start practicing?” 

“There should be someone waiting at the stables right now!” she exclaims, dragging him up onto his feet. “Run along now. We haven’t got much time.” 

After being pushed out of the room, Sehun holds back his sigh and walks towards the stables. The other day Johnny told him that he’d been sighing so much lately that the boy was starting to think he has breathing problems. 

The sun is beating down outside, and Sehun curses under his breath for not stopping by his massive closet to grab a pair of sunglasses. When he finally makes it to the stables, there is no one in sight. “Hello? Anyone there?” 

A one of the many horses neighs in response. Perfect. 

He stands there for a few minutes contemplating his next move. There really was no reason for him to stay put, given the 500 other things he could be doing right now. What he really should do is find his riding instructor. Or go inside and put on sunscreen. Or obsessively study one of the twenty decks of flashcards his grandmother gave him. 

Instead he just stands there, entering into an intense staring contest the horse in front of him. Except it’s not really a staring contest because apparently horses blink a lot. Either that or this horse was going through something particularly profound. 

Time passes without his awareness, and suddenly, both Sehun  _ and _ the horse are spooked out of their respective trances when the stable door opens. Relieved that the instructor finally showed up, Sehun grins and turns towards the door. 

“Oh, it’s just you,” Sehun frowns when his eyes are met with the delicious sight of Jongin in riding gear instead of his nameless and faceless instructor. Visually, it’s probably the better deal, but Sehun will never be ready for the emotional whiplash the sight of Jongin Kim causes him. 

“Loving the excitement,” Jongin deadpans back, sly smile betraying his tone. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“Waiting for my stupid instructor to teach me how to ride this stupid horse so that I can not look like an idiot at the stupid ceremony that’s happening,” Sehun pauses his rant to think. “I don’t even  _ know  _ when it’s happening.”

“Hey! Don’t call the horses stupid, they have ears,” Jongin pouts, coming over to Mr. Blinky to pet him comfortingly, who neighs in delight. Mr. Blinky definitely likes Jongin better than him. Honestly Mr. Blinky probably wishes Jongin were going to become king instead of him, just like everyone else. Mr. Blinky is probably also not happy that Sehun just christened him under a new name, but in his defense, this horses’ stable is the only one that isn’t labeled. 

Sehun pouts at the horse in offense. He would make just as good of a king, better even, thank you very much. 

“Are you having a telepathic conversation with this horse right now?” Jongin snorts, giving him a lightheartedly judgmental stare. 

“What Mr. Blinky and I are doing is none of your business, alright?” Sehun huffs, sour expression continuing to paint his face. Jongin rolls his eyes and sighs at him.

“Okay, you obviously seem to be experiencing some kind of acute angst right now, so let me help you out,” he hums, smiling softly at Blinky while petting him. It’s fucking adorable. “Yixing, the stable manager who is supposed to be teaching you how to ride a horse right now, is not here right now because his niece is sick and needed to be picked up from school. He’s also definitely not stupid either.” 

Sehun’s gut twists in guilt, and it must be apparent because Jongin shakes his head slightly as if to say ‘ _ don’t worry about it’ _ .

“The ceremony is in three days, which is plenty of time to learn how to trot slowly on a horse. And if you’re willing to put our differences aside, I could teach you how,” Jongin offers, finally looking away from Mr. Blinky and fixing Sehun with his wide eyes. He’s smiling, like he always does, and Sehun silently curses him for being so hard to hate. 

Spending the next few hours with Jongin was probably the Worst Idea Ever, but Sehun doesn’t know if he has any other options. This allotted time is probably the only time he can spare in his packed schedule, so he would be a fool not to take Jongin up on the offer. After a few moments of weighing his options, he finally speaks. 

“Okay, that would be really great actually,” Sehun mumbles, looking down at his feet. “And I’m sorry for being so…” 

“Prickly?” Jongin suggests. Sehun has to chuckle at that. 

“Yeah, prickly, I guess. It’s just been a lot, I guess,” he finishes with a shrug. He doesn’t know why he’s spilling his guts to the enemy, but Jongin always happens to catch him at his worst moments. 

“Fair enough,” Jongin waves him off. “If it’s worth anything, I think you’re doing a pretty great job.” 

Sehun’s head snaps up at that, and they lock eyes. Standing there, lost in each other, Sehun doesn’t know how much time passes until Mr. Blinky let’s out a loud whine. They both clear their throats and shuffle around. 

“Well, let’s get started then?” Sehun prompts, taking a deep breath in hopes to clear the heavy feeling that’s settled in his stomach. 

“Ready when you are,” Jongin grins in return. Mr. Blinky whines yet again. “Of course, and you too Mr. Blinky,” he adds, giggling and rubbing his nose into the horse’s fur. The sight warms Sehun’s heart. Maybe it was time for him to stop lying to himself that Jongin wasn’t perfect. 

But then again, maybe it isn’t, because no matter how perfect Jongin is, Sehun still can’t have him.

-

“It’s just a horse, Sehun,” Chanyeol encourages him as they walk towards the grand entrance dressed to the nines. 

Sehun can beg to differ. Mr. Blinky was a very special horse. And by special, Sehun means strange. And by strange he really means incredibly unpredictable and rather spontaneous in movement.

He was able to learn all of this during his riding lesson with Jongin, which included a little bit of instruction, and a lot a bit of touching that would be considered highly inappropriate in any other context. The touching actually probably went in the same category as instruction, but the separation is the only thing that is helping Sehun understand why his brain has been so scrambled. 

“You’ll be fine,” Baekhyun comforts him, punching him in the arm lightly. It succeeds in putting a smile on his face. When they reach the entrance, Sehun is immediately whisked away towards the stables. He passes Jongin on his way, who gives him a meaningful smile, and a nod of confidence. It puts Sehun slightly at ease. 

Within ten minutes, he’s decked out in all the proper royal riding gear, and standing face to face with Mr. Blinky. 

“Hey buddy,” Sehun whispers at him softly, petting his nose the way he saw Jongin doing it the other day. “I’m really gonna need you to stick to the plan today, alright? You can do that for me right?” Mr. Blinky neighs in response, probably not understanding a word Sehun said. It makes him feel better regardless. 

On cue, Sehun leads Mr. Blinky out of the stables and mounts him. When the royal trumpets sound, he manages to work up to a trot and is on his way towards the crowd. 

_ Hey, that was easier than I thought it would be _ , Sehun grins to himself as Mr. Blinky leads him down the path at a perfectly slow pace. 

“Good boy,” Sehun coos at him, smiling at everyone around him and lifting his hand to wave. It only takes a few minutes for him to get near the end of the trail, and he rejoices in the fact that it’s almost over.

His celebration is cut short by a piercing scream, “SNAKE!”

Sehun panics, but it’s nothing compared to the way that Mr. Blinky panics. Suddenly he goes from petting zoo mode to Texas Rodeo mode and Sehun is the one screaming now. 

“Hey boy, calm down, okay?” Sehun attempts shouting, not knowing what to do to make him stop. He holds on for his dear life, but he knows that he won’t be able to last for much longer. 

“Sehun!” Jongin yells from down on the ground, holding an arm out. “Ease yourself off. I got you.” Sehun looks at him in shock, shaking his head. It’s too far down. 

“Sehun, please. It’s dangerous,” Jongin shouts pleadingly. “I got you, I promise.”

So he takes a leap of faith, and without really comprehending what he’s doing, he somehow ends up safely in Jongin’s arms, while the Yixing, the stable master, manages to calm Mr. Blinky down. 

“Sehun are you alright?” he hears Chanyeol and Baekhyun calling, likely from not too far away. Sehun realizes his current position and rips himself away from Jongin with wide eyes. Looking around him, he realizes that everyone is staring. 

With his heart lodged in his throat and panic welling up in his entire system, he does the only thing he can think of. 

He runs.

-

“Found you.”

Sehun closes his eyes and exhales at the sound of Jongin’s voice. He really can’t deal with this now. 

“You should go.” Sehun states plainly, resting his head against the cold wall. He’s been hiding out here in an abandoned stairwell for almost two hours, and yet again, Jongin is the only one who managed to find him. 

“After searching for you for so long? I don’t think so,” he dismisses, coming to sit next to Sehun. 

“Why are you even here, Jongin?” Sehun laughs sardonically, leaning his head against the wall and refusing to spare Jongin a glance. “Haven’t you done enough?”

“What are you talking about?” Jongin inquires, slightly in shock. 

“This whole thing was some ploy wasn’t it. The riding lesson, gaining my trust, planting that fucking toy snake on the path so you could save me and look better to the people,” Sehun scoffs, lips turned down into a deep frown. “Well, congrats. You fooled me.” 

Jongin stays silent for a few moments, before he’s standing up. Sehun is momentarily relieved that the other man is leaving, until he feels himself being dragged up until they’re face to face.

“Are you kidding me, Sehun?” Jongin seethes, anger flaring wildly in his eyes. “Why do you have to keep making me the bad guy? I didn’t fucking do  _ anything. _ ” 

And it’s true. Sehun can tell by the conviction in Jongin’s words and the fire in his eyes. But for some goddamn reason he can’t get himself to back down. 

“I don’t believe you,” he chokes out, averting his eyes. Jongin’s hand grabs his chin and turns his face back towards himself. 

“Are you even trying to make your lies believable anymore?” Jongin chuckles darkly. “Answer my question, Sehun. Why are you doing this?” 

They’re so so close and Sehun can’t breathe. Jongin walks them back until his back is reunited with the cold cement wall. 

“Tell me,” he growls, voice dropping so low that it makes Sehun dizzy. 

“Because of this, Jongin,” Sehun whispers, somehow gathering up the courage to meet Jongin dead in the eyes. “Because we really, really shouldn’t be doing this.” 

Sehun grabs onto Jongin’s shirt, grasping for purchase on  _ something _ to keep him grounded. 

“Because I want this so bad, even though I can never have it.” 

Sehun pushes as hard as he can, sending Jongin stumbling backwards. Without a second thought or glance, he stalks out of the room, tears streaming down his face. 

-

Whoever decided that the height of the summer would be the ideal time for Chenovian social season was certainly insane, because Sehun quite literally feels like he’s on fire. 

The annual diplomatic picnic was in full swing. It was more of an extravagant garden party, really, but then again, his grandmother planned it so it’s not much of a surprise. 

Sehun is trying not to get drenched in sweat as he strolls silently alongside Baekhyun and Chanyeol who are deeply immersed in a conversation that he’s only half paying attention to. He’s been in a bad mood ever since the horse incident, and although most people are chalking it up to slight trauma, only Sehun really knows why. And Jongin, of course. 

His two friends- 

Sehun shakes his head.

His best friend and fiance have long since given up trying to get him to participate, only throwing him concerned glances every few minutes. They’ve gotten close, with Sehun always so busy in training, and Sehun is glad that they have each other to keep them company. It’s one less thing for Sehun to feel guilty about. 

“That’s why I like Iron Man more. He’s more credible and he actually has a personality,” Sehun tunes into Chanyeol arguing. 

“What about Cap isn’t credible? And personality? Tony Stark is just a guy with a suit and a bad attitude,” Baekhyun scoffs, waving off Chanyeol’s argument. 

“Captain America is  _ literally _ IN-credible,” Chanyeol cracks up at his own joke. “You can’t argue with me on that one, can you? I mean- hey! It’s Jongin!” 

Sehun returns to full attention at that, head snapping up to see Jongin walking very closely to another man, laughing merrily. 

“Who’s that he’s with? That boy is  _ fine _ .” Baekhyun hoots jokingly, before turning to Sehun. “No offense, fiance, but those thick lips are just too sinful to go without admiring.” 

Sehun snorts in laughter and slaps Baekhyun on the arm. He looks up again to see Jongin staring at him, frowning now. Chanyeol walks them in their direction, against Sehun’s pleas, because for some reason  _ ‘they had to be nice’ _ . 

“Hey Jongin! I haven’t seen you in a while,” Chanyeol greets with a smile, earning one in response. 

“Yeah, I’ve been busy with a few things,” Jongin shrugs, shooting Sehun a brief knowing look that has him feeling guilty. He frowns. No one ever told Jongin to stop hanging out with Chanyeol.

“And who’s this?” Baekhyun asks slyly.

“Oh this is my, uh, Taemin,” Jongin introduces awkwardly. Taemin waves excitedly with a huge smile on his face. 

“ _ Your  _ Taemin, huh?” Baekhyun smirks, eyebrows wiggling. Jongin’s eyes go wide and he turns a little red, but doesn’t deny it. “Nice to meet you.” 

Taemin reaches out to shake each of their hands with a cute hello. He’s hot and cute at the same time, and it gets on Sehun’s nerves. 

“Taemin is actually the founder of one of the largest hip-hop dance networks in the world,” Jongin brags, looping his arm with Taemin’s. “I was asking him if he could run a few workshops here. I think they’d be a hit.” 

Chanyeol hums in acknowledgement. “Whoa that’s so cool!” 

  
“You know,” Against any ounce of sense he has in his brain, Sehun starts talking. “Baekhyun is the founder of a sustainable non-profit for water conservation. He loves to help people.” 

“Yeah, well Taemin runs free classes for kids in underprivileged urban areas in over twenty cities.” Jongin bites back.

“ _ Baekhyun’s _ photograph exhibits auction prints for charity almost every month!” Sehun seethes, jabbing Jongin in the chest with his rolled up agenda. 

“Alright, that’s enough,” Chanyeol chides, rolling his eyes. “Let’s break it up.” 

“As much as I’d love to continue being the motivation for your  _ ‘my dick is bigger than yours _ ’ contest,” Baekhyun starts, before shaking his head. “Actually no, I wouldn’t love to continue this.”

“Wanna go get sandwiches?” Taemin suggests to Baekhyun and Chanyeol who agree immediately and follow him off. At the last minute Baekhyun stops and turns around, pulling the rolled up agenda out of his hands. 

“And let’s get this out of your hands before you hurt yourself, okay sweetie?” 

And with that they’re left alone. Again. 

“Didn’t realize you were going to marry your babysitter,” Jongin snorts, turning around to walk away. Sehun squawks indignantly. 

“Excuse me? Take that back,” Sehun demands, running after the other man. When he gets no response, he continues. “Good to see that you’ve moved on so quickly.”

“Good to see that you’re still  _ engaged _ ,” Jongin deadpans. “At least I’m having fun. Meanwhile, you’re hurrying into the fakest marriage of the century. Since when has the monarchy become a reality show, Sehun? Must be the American influence.” 

Sehun’s jaw drops. “I can’t believe you just said that.” 

Their quick pace has brought them deep into the gardens to an isolated area covered by bushes. 

“Are you that desperate to prove yourself, that you’re marrying someone you don’t even love?” Jongin taunts him even further, walking towards the fountain in the middle of the enclosement. 

“I’ll have you know that Baekhyun is amazing. He’s smart, funny and charismatic. The people  _ love _ him.” Sehun challenges, bumping into Jongin who suddenly decides to stop walking and turn around. 

“But do you?” Jongin asks, that genuine look returning to his eyes. 

“I-I-” Sehun stutters. 

“Yeah? That’s what I thought.” 

And suddenly Jongin is leaning in and they’re kissing. It’s the culmination of almost a month of raging sexual tension, finally being released. It’s like they can’t get enough of each other, clawing at each other’s jackets and fighting for dominance. When Sehun finds himself running out of oxygen, he finally processes what’s going on. Wrenching himself out of Jongin’s grip, he gasps in shock. 

“You can’t just  _ do  _ that!” Sehun shouts in horror, stepping forward to push Jongin back in anger. In his hurry, his foot trips over a piece of lose cobblestone, and all of a sudden he’s falling into the fountain, and dragging Jongin right along with him by the tie. 

They hit the water together, sputtering and flailing before they finally find their balance. 

“Oh my god,” Sehun groans, holding his head in his hands in defeat. 

Now this is what he likes to call A Royal Disaster. 

-

“Explain yourself,” the queen shrieks. Sehun is now dry and away from prying eyes. He’s sitting in his room with his head hung low in shame. It’s been easy to blame circumstances on everything else that has gone wrong since his time in the palace, but this one was all on him. Met with silence, his grandmother sighs in disappointment. “I’m waiting.” 

“We got into a fight and it got really out of hand,” Sehun mumbles, pulling the blanket that’s draped around his shoulders tighter. 

“Sehun, you’ve been acting more like a child with each day that goes on. How is anyone supposed to believe that you’re ready for the throne if you keep pulling stuff like this?”

“It won’t happen again. I promise,” Sehun swears, looking up to convey his sincerity to his grandmother. 

“It better not,” she warns with her eyebrows raised. “And stop hanging around Duke Jongin. People are going to start thinking that you don’t play well with others with all this fighting.” 

Sehun nods, and the queen excuses herself from his room, not knowing that the real problem was that he plays a little  _ too _ well with Duke Jongin. 

-

_ “The annual Chenovian Royal Parade is finally here. We can’t wait to see what disastrous feat Prince Sehun pulls at this event.”  _

Sehun glares at the television as he does up the buttons to his suit jacket. If the media wanted to trade places with him, he’d be willing and ready to give up all this suffering to see  _ them _ try to handle the pressure. 

“Are you trying to burn lasers through the television,” Baekhyun calls from the door where he’s peeking his head in. “Sorry, I knocked, but you were too immersed.”

“No it’s fine,” Sehun sighs. “Come in. They were just making fun of me.” 

“Again? Man, you can’t catch a break can you?” Baekhyun teases, coming over to fix his tie. 

“Hey, I’m sorry about what happened at the picnic,” Sehun exhales, looking down at him softly. He hadn’t gotten a chance to see Baekhyun alone because he was too busy cleaning up the PR mess he made. 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun laughs, rolling his eyes. “Look, Sehun. I know this isn’t perfect. And I know we’re not in love or anything. Honestly, right now, we don’t owe each other anything other than trust and companionship.” Baekhyun reaches up and pats the lapels of his suit jacket down. “You’re one of my best friends, okay? We have forever to work on the other stuff.” 

He knows that Baekhyun is trying to convince himself as much as he’s trying to convince Sehun. The love they have for each other is not in the way that either of them probably want. But it’s what they have, and Sehun should really stop complaining, because Baekhyun is perfect in his own right. They would learn to fit together slowly over time. 

“Thank you,” Sehun smiles, pulling Baekhyun into a tight hug. 

“Alright, now let’s go get em!’” Baekhyun cheers, leading them both out of the room. 

When they walk outside the front doors, their escort cars are already waiting for them. As the Crown Prince, Sehun is required to ride alone, so he bids farewell to Baekhyun and makes his way towards a cream yellow vintage convertible towards the front of the line of vehicles. It’s a beautiful car, that Sehun can’t help but admire. The plates say CHEN LE, an important phrase to Chenovian history, and Sehun internally thanks his grandmother for allowing him such an honor. 

It’s not long before the parade begins and the cars are on their way into crowds of cheering Chenvoians merrily waving their flags as the procession passes them. Sehun smiles and waves, as a good prince does, and does his best to really look at the citizens in the crowd. Since arriving, Sehun has been pretty sheltered, and hasn’t gotten the chance to really interact with his people. Seeing their smiling and hopeful faces in the crowd is giving him just the motivation he’s been needing since he got to Chenovia. These are the people he will pledge his life to serve, and hopefully he will do them justice as king one day. 

“Hey, stop it!” Sehun hears a yell filter through the excited screaming of the rest of the crowd. He turns to see where it’s coming from. It’s the children’s orphanage, where a little boy is being pushed around by some older kids. Sehun frowns, remembering his own past as a scrawny kid getting pushed around by the big guys. It makes his heart hurt to see the tearful expression on the boy. 

“Hey stop the car!” Sehun yells, alerting the driver whose eyes widen, assuming something is wrong. The car stops immediately, and the crowd begins to whisper in question, likely wondering what mischief Sehun is up to this time. 

Sehun makes his way over to the little kids, and the older ones instantly stop picking on the kid when they see him approaching. When he is standing in front of them, he kneels down to get level with the small boy with tear tracks staining his face. 

“Hey buddy,” Sehun soothes him, reaching up to wipe away his tears. “What’s wrong?” 

“They keep pushing me around because I’m small,” the boy mumbles back, frown decorating his face. Sehun ruffles the boy’s hair. 

“And what’s your name, little guys?” Sehun asks.

“I’m Jisung,” the boy introduces himself, a smile slowly appearing on his face. “You’re Prince Sehun, right?”

“That’s me,” Sehun laughs, eyes crinkling up. He gets back up on his feet and turns to the bigger kids. “I want you to apologize to Jisung here. And from now on, treat others with kindness. Pushing others around won’t do you any good.” 

The kids stare down at their feet in shame, looking guilty. They mumble apologies to Jisung, and one of them even comes over to give the little boy a hug, which makes Sehun smile. 

“Hey Jisung, how about you join me in the parade,” Sehun offers, holding his hand out for Jisung to take. The little boy’s eyes go wide and he grabs on. 

“Really?” Jisung exclaims, grinning now. “Can I be a prince too?” 

Sehun tilts his head to the side and mock wonders as he leads Jisung back to the car. The crowd is roaring, obviously pleased with Sehun’s attention to the situation. “You can always be a prince, little guy. All you have to do is believe in yourself.” 

He lifts Jisung into the car, and signals the parade to recommence. “Now, put a big smile on your face and wave to the crowd, Little Prince. Today is your day,” Sehun hums to Jisung, who boldly does exactly as he’s told. The crowd cheers even louder, endeared by the little boy’s confidence.

When they get back to the palace, Sehun leads Jisung inside by the hand, ready to give him a tour. He waves off his grandmother’s impressed smile, while Baekhyun and Chanyeol come over to meet the little boy. On his way inside he catches Jongin’s gaze. It holds a mix of pride and something else that Sehun doesn’t want to think about.

Lucky, today he doesn’t have to. He focuses instead on picking Jisung up into his arms and beginning the tour. He smiles at the thought that for once, he’s done something good. Praise isn’t something he’s been worthy of in quite a while, so today he basks in the feeling that he finally made a difference. Today it was only for one person, but someday, Sehun vows to make sure that he brings happiness to all of his people. 

Someday, when he’s King of Chenovia. 

-

“This is the lamest bachelor party that has ever happened in the history of the world,” Chanyeol deadpans as they stand around the kitchen island watching Jaehyun and Johnny making sandwiches, their main course for the night. 

“Don’t be so negative Chanyeol. You never know where this night could take us,” Johnny admonishes Chanyeol, causing him to groan loudly. “Man, I’m hungry. I want some bread.” 

“NO. Don’t eat my bread. Don’t look down on me,” Jaehyun huffs, sassily flipping his hair while Sehun wonders how these boys’ brains operate. 

“Okay yeah, we’re done here,” Sehun interrupts shaking his head. “We have to actually do something.”

“I mean, what is there to do here anyways,” Baekhyun frowns, leaning against the counter. “We’re not even allowed to go into town to hang out at the bars.”

“You two aren’t even supposed to be together, it’s your bachelor party,” Chanyeol whines, flailing his arms around in frustration. 

“Well, there’s nobody else here to party with besides us. Except for Jongin,” Baekhyun shrugs, shooting a look at Sehun. “And we all know how Sehun would feel about him being invited.” 

They all turn towards him and glare a little. Sehun rolls his eyes. “Okay, get over yourselves and let’s figure this out.” 

“We could go to the karaoke room?” Jaehyun suggests, finally finishing the sandwiches. Everyone grabs one immediately and begins chowing down. Sehun feels like he’s on a high school field trip. 

“We could also break into the wine cellar and steal a bunch,” Johnny adds between bites. Sehun quite likes that idea. It’s been way too long since he’s had some good intoxicated fun. 

“Let’s do it,” Sehun shrugs, finishing his last bite. “We need to turn this thing around from high school field trip to raging debauchery. And fast.” 

“Agreed. Let’s get the fuck started,” Baekhyun hollers excitedly. “Johnny, lead the way.”

They all follow Johnny, quickly realizing that breaking into the wine cellar actually meant just walking in and taking whatever they wanted. Which they do with a  _ lot _ of wine. They end up in the karaoke room equipped with a corkscrew, hands brimming with wine bottles, and quickly get two work. Baekhyun queues up a bunch of songs and stuns them with his talent with Chanyeol jumping into harmonize. Four glasses in, Sehun finds himself drunkenly dancing along with Johnny and occasionally screaming emotional ballads into the mic. It’s a mess, but all five of them manage to have a wild night. Especially when Johnny and Jaehyun start a very inappropriate cover of a song called Whiplash. Sehun needs to make more friends. 

When Baekhyun, who has the worst tolerance out of all of them, starts to stumble and slur a little too much, they decide it’s maybe time for them to wrap up for the night. Chanyeol, the self proclaimed Designated Semi-Sober Person, somehow manages to drag him away to his room despite his screams for one more song. 

When Johnny and Jaehyun also excuse themselves, Sehun, after convincing everyone that he’s  _ totally _ fine to get to his room, heads out in the opposite direction. 

Halfway to what he thought was his room, he realizes that he’s completely lost. Stumbling through the dark halls aimlessly, he groans in frustration. Maybe he wasn’t as fine as he thought he was. 

“Oh my god.” Sehun hears a murmur from behind him and whips around. Of course. 

“Are you stalking me? I swear to god you show up  _ everywhere,”  _ Sehun slurs, trying to keep his balance as he squints at Jongin through the darkness. 

“You happen to be making an incredible amount of noise outside my room,” Jongin chuckles, coming over to steady Sehun, who is swaying back and forth at this point. A closer look at Jongin shows him that the man is dressed in his pajamas and he has a sleepy look on his face. 

“Did I wake you up?” Sehun frowns, feeling guilty. His drunk self didn’t have as much room for the sarcastic annoyance he normally feigns around Jongin. 

“Almost. I wasn’t asleep yet, don’t worry,” Jongin dismisses, shaking his head. “Now let’s get you back to your room, okay?” 

Sehun allows Jongin to lead him through the halls, eyes closed and head leaning on the man’s shoulder. Somewhere along the way, his drunk self manages to snake his arms around Jongin’s torso, until he’s snuggled so close that there’s no space between them. In no time at all, Jongin is dragging him into his room and tucking him into bed. Before he can move to leave, Sehun grabs his arm and holds him back. 

“Tell me a story?” Sehun pleads, voice soft and sleepy. He doesn’t want Jongin to leave, and the intoxication doesn’t allow him to exercise better judgement. “Please?” 

Jongin sighs and sits on the edge of a bed. 

“Once upon a time there was a handsome prince that lived in a kingdom called Chenovia…” Jongin starts with a tiny smile on his face. Sehun echoes the expression. 

The story goes on and on, and Sehun manages to stay awake for quite a bit. Somehow, without realizing it, his eyes flutter closed and he slowly falls to sleep.He also doesn’t realize how his arms are wrapped around Jongin, with his head pillowed on the man’s chest. 

He doesn’t realize much of anything at all, other than the fact that he’s blissfully happy lying here, just like this. 

-

Sehun awakens at the sound of the door creaking open. He feels too cold, and when he opens his eyes and finds himself alone in his bed, the events of last night come back to him all at once. 

“How are you feeling?” Baekhyun asks, jumping on the bed to sit on the edge. It’s the same spot Jongin was sitting in last night. 

“Fine, I guess,” Sehun shrugs, sitting up, guilt flooding his system at the sight of Baekhyun. 

“I saw him leaving your room this morning,” Baekhyun murmurs, looking at Sehun softly. Sehun’s eyes go wide and his heartbeat speeds up as he prepares to give an explanation. “He left the palace today. I don’t think he told you right?” 

Sehun’s brain freezes at that. Perhaps he should have seen it coming. After all, he would be marrying Baekhyun tomorrow, and his uncle has probably given up by now. If Sehun were in Jongin’s shoes, he wouldn’t want to stick around for what’s to come either. 

Baekhyun must be able to see Sehun’s face fall, because he slips under the covers and wraps his arms around him. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, rocking Sehun back and forth as tears stream down his face. “I’m sorry it has to be like this. For both of us.”

Sehun breaks down into full on sobs, and Baekhyun holds him through it. 

“I have to do this, don’t I?” Sehun cries, shaking a little. Baekhyun rubs his shoulders. 

“Yeah, you do,” Baekhyun sighs. “Sehun, you have so many dreams for this country and you’re going to be such a great king. As hard as all of this now, let’s promise to each other that we’ll make it worth it. We can do this for the people.” 

Sehun looks up with watery eyes and meets Baekhyun’s gaze. 

“Don’t worry. We’re best friends, aren’t we?” Baekhyun continues, with a smile on his face. “Give it some time and I think we’ll figure it out just fine.” 

-

“How are you feeling, Royal Groom?” Chanyeol shouts at him, jumping on to his bed as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes the next day. He tries his best to plaster a genuine smile on his face, but Chanyeol sees right through it. “Come on, get up. Let’s get ready and get this over with, alright?” 

  
Sehun sighs and rolls out of bed, allowing Chanyeol to push him along towards his bathroom to get showered and dressed.

He opts for a relaxing bath to calm his nerves, and after getting his hair styled professionally into tousled perfection, he makes his way to his closet where Chanyeol is waiting with his fitted Gucci tuxedo. It took almost three different fittings to get the thing perfect, but once Sehun slips into it, he realizes how worth it it was. He looks like a million bucks, so maybe the tux will help him feel like that too.  

Once they both look runway ready, they walk outside. There’s a Mercedes limo waiting, and mechanically Sehun gets into the car that takes him to the venue where he is to  _ get married.  _ His heart is beating hard and the jittery anxious feeling is set deeply into his bones. Chanyeol notices him fidgeting nervously and places a comforting hand on his knee. It helps him stop moving as much, but the feeling stays strong in his system. 

He takes a moment to give his best friend a good look. Chanyeol has been quieter than usual all morning, and the smile on his face is just as forced as Sehun’s. 

“Is something wrong?” Sehun asks, hoping that talking about Chanyeol’s worries will help take his mind of of his own. 

Chanyeol startles slightly, looking at Sehun with surprise. He probably wasn’t expecting the question. After all, Sehun has been a little too selfish lately to be considered a good friend. 

“It’s nothing,” Chanyeol grins, shaking his head. At Sehun’s skeptical eyebrow raise, he continues, “I’m just leaving soon, that’s all. It’ll be weird not being around you all the time. I’m gonna miss it.” 

Chanyeol turns back to look out the window, effectively ending the conversation. Sehun frowns. His best friend’s excuse was half-assed at best, and obviously he’s hiding something. He’ll have to pry it out of him after the ceremony is over. 

They arrive at the wedding hall, and manage to slip through the back entrance, avoiding the press. It was a bit unconventional, but Sehun didn’t have it in him to smile at a hundred cameras right now. After half an hour of pacing in the waiting room, Sehun is finally called to the entrance to countdown to his grand entrance. 

They all stand in a line, Chanyeol first as the man of honor, Jisung as the ring-bearer right after him, and then his grandmother right before him. When the countdown starts and Chanyeol leaves through the doors, it finally sets in. This is actually happening. Sehun takes deep breaths to calm himself down. 

_ You can do this. You’re marrying one of your best friends, it’ll be fine,  _ Sehun chants to himself in his mind, closing his eyes and trying to bring himself some calmness. When he feels his grandmother leave through the doors in front of him, he opens his eyes and steps up farther. It’s only a few seconds before they’re signaling him to make his entrance. With a deep breath, his entire mind goes blank and he steps through the threshold and into the room for one of the biggest moments of his life. 

Step by measured step, he walks down the aisle, looking straight forward at the altar. It’s all going fine, and slowly Sehun gathers confidence, each step becoming stronger. It isn’t until he meets with Baekhyun’s resigned eyes that it all comes crashing down. 

_ ‘What the hell are you doing, Sehun? _ ’ his brain screams at him in frustration. Within seconds, his fight or flight response kicks in and he’s halted in the middle of the aisle, panicking. 

“Oh god,” Sehun mumbles to himself, before he spins around and runs out of the hall and outside. He realizes he made a big mistake when he sees the press, and runs off to the side before they can start snapping pictures. 

He ends up in an enclosed garden and sits himself down on a bench and rests his head in his hands and waits. 

“Oh darling,” he finally hears his grandmother call as she comes over and sits next to him. “What on earth happened in there?” 

Sehun lifts his head and looks at his grandmother, realizing that he had to make a decision. 

“I don’t think I can do this, grandma,” Sehun exhales, finally allowing himself to be honest. “I can’t marry Baekhyun because I don’t love him. At least not in the way that counts.”

His grandmother smiles at him and rubs a comforting hand on his arm. “Sweetheart, if that’s what you want, I want you to follow your heart. We’ll figure something out.” 

Sehun takes a deep breath and a little smile appears on his face. He knew that she would be fine with whatever decision he would make. It was his own self that he was scared of this whole time. 

“I think I have an idea,” Sehun contemplates, determined expression appearing on his face. “Could you set up a press conference at the palace in a few hours?” 

“I could,” his grandmother considers curiously. “What exactly do you have up your sleeve this time?” 

“You’ll just have to wait and find out,” Sehun grins, getting up from his seat. “I have to go in there and tell everyone now, don’t I?” 

“Sadly, yes,’ his grandmother sighs, getting up along with him. “But I’ll be there supporting you the whole time, alright?” 

Sehun smiles and nods confidently before running back inside the building. He opens the doors to the hall, and paces down the aisle at a pace definitely not fit for a groom. He makes it up to Baekhyun in no time. 

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun asks, confused. Sehun turns towards him and bends down to talk to him quietly. 

“How do you feel about not getting married today? Or ever really.” 

Baekhyun’s eyes go wide and when he catches sight of Sehun’s smile, his mouth starts to turn up in one too. It’s probably the most genuine smile Sehun has seen on the man in a while. 

“Are you serious?” Baekhyun laughs incredulously. When Sehun nods in affirmative, Baekhyun lets out a sigh in what must be relief. “Honestly, I’d be honored to not marry you, Sehun. Thank you.” 

Baekhyun reaches up on his tip-toes to give Sehun a tight hug, and then steps down to sit in the crowd next to his family, who immediately bombard him with questions. 

Turning his attention back to the rest of the room, Sehun clears his throat and prepares himself to address the audience. Taking a deep breath, he begins. 

“Good afternoon everyone, I’d like to start off with a story about a prince from a grand kingdom called Chenovia.” 

-

“So, considering my experience and education, as well as the fact that it’s  _ 2018 _ , I think it is rather apparent why I don’t need to be married to take the throne,” Sehun concludes from behind his podium. The press immediately start throwing questions at him and snapping pictures. Sehun presses on. 

“I know that everyone probably has quite a few questions, but we will be releasing an official statement after the emergency parliament meeting that will be held later this evening. I hope you all can-”

“I would just like to point out that this is absolutely ridiculous.” Sehun internally groans when he hears Jognin’s Uncle’s voice. He looks at the door to the press room to see him leaning against the door with his usual sour expression. “In fact, I know someone who could do the job much better, and I’m sure you all would love to see him on the throne over this  _ American, _ ” he finishes with a sneer. 

“I would like to officially relinquish my position as second in line to the throne,” Jongin appears from behind his uncle to announce to the room. He turns to his uncle and continues, “I’m done with all of this. I’m done with you playing with my life and honestly just ruining everything. Find a new show pony, I’m over it.” Jongin abruptly turns and exits the room, leaving a fuming Councilman Kim in the dust. Immediately, the man runs after him, shouting angrily, causing more of a ruckus than he already has. 

  
Sehun stares after them in shock before returning his attention to the press conference.

“Um, well, yes. I hope you all are willing to usher in this new age of the monarchy with me. I promise you that official updates will come soon.” 

Sehun bows at the audience and makes his way off stage, feeling lighter than he has in months. He makes his way into the hall, and gets a big hug from his grandmother. Looking further, he sees Chanyeol and Baekhyun standing together, holding hands. 

Wait, what? 

“Wait, what?” Sehun shouts at them in awe. “Oh my god, how did I not see this coming? I’m such an idiot.” 

“Well you were pretty preoccupied drooling at a certain-” Baekhyun starts, but Sehun cuts him off with a whack to the arm. “Ow!” 

“You have to tell me  _ everything _ ,” Sehun gushes, flailing with excitement and pulling his two best friends into a hug. “THIS IS SO CUTE.” 

They’re all hugging and laughing and Sehun’s heart feels so full. There’s only one more thing that could make this all perfect, but Sehun figures he’ll be able to chase after it soon enough. 

Right now, this is more than enough for him. 

-

The throne room seems too big from where Sehun is sitting in the ornamented chair at the front. The parliament meeting went off without a hitch, and in her true style, his grandmother suddenly announced that she would be stepping down from her position as queen. Preparations for a coronation were underway, making Sehun more busy that he’s ever been since arriving at the palace. In a few days, he’d be crowned king of Chenovia, and the thought makes his insides flutter with excitement. 

“If I were to be so bold to request an audience with your highness,” Jongin’s voice resonates through the room, and his footsteps echo as he comes closer. 

“I suppose I could spare you a moment,” Sehun contemplates, crossing one leg over the other and leaning forward from where his back is resting against the throne. “And what is your concern, young man?” 

“You see, I have fallen in love with someone very special,” Jongin confesses, coming closer until he’s standing at the foot of the steps leading up to the throne. “And I can’t help but spend all of my time wondering if he might love me too.” 

“Well it sounds like you’re wasting your time then,” Sehun ponders, keeping up with the act, before breaking it entirely. “Because you should know the answer to that already, you idiot.” 

Sehun gets up and runs down the steps before he’s crashing into Jongin’s arms. Within moments, their lips find each other on their own accord, and they get lost in each other yet again. Exploring Jongin’s mouth, Sehun decides that he could do this forever. With that thought in his head, he makes a decision and pulls away. 

“Hey, Jongin, I have a question,” he whispers against Jongin's lips. Jongin hums a questioning noise. “Will you marry me? Because I want this forever.” 

Jongin pulls back and grins at him. 

“It would be an honor.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> wow I literally wrote this in a week, what the heck.
> 
> so I had this idea floating around in my head ever since bailyisbest wrote her very fantastic and very amazing devil wears prada AU (go read it if you haven't, it's great). i probably wrote it so fast after being free from the weight of the angsty baekchen that i just finished. baileyisbest and i now each have one sekai fic that is based on an anne hathaway movie so hooray.
> 
> princess diaries 2 was one of my favorite movies growing up and that has absolutely nothing to do with chris pine’s blue eyes um what?
> 
> [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x30xp_5Aqkg), and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTe3m649jrw) are the videos where i got plates say chenle and don't eat my bread from. 
> 
> as you can see my main man KJD is not in this fic, so i decided to just make him the entire setting. all hail chenovia. also kris kinda disappeared towards the end because uh he had other important things to do and sehun finally figured out how to navigate the palace i guess. oops.
> 
> i had a blast writing this, and i hope you enjoyed it and maybe it brought back some childhood nostalgia for you guys as well.
> 
> (keep your eyes peeled for a companion story guess what it’ll be about)


End file.
